Constellations
by Ravenna Vitalia
Summary: The Dursley's of number 4 Privet drive were viewed as abnormal by their neighbours. This could be due to the magical twins they had as their unwanted lodgers, though it was more likely to be the Dursley's addiction to normality and the lengths they will go to achieve it. Unluckily for them, Aster Potter seemed intent on not allowing them to remain normal. Pity.


A/N: This story will be AU, I'm not a great fan of author's notes when reading fanfics so I'll attempt to keep mine short in the future. Enjoy.

First Year 1991-1992

Despite their best efforts, the occupants of number 4 Privet drive were viewed as abnormal by their neighbours. Of course, the Dursley's believed that this abnormality was fully contained within their obligatory lodgers, otherwise known as Aster and Harry Potter, rather than themselves. Since their arrival in Little Whinging, the Potter's had thrown a wrench in the Dursley's commitment to normalcy, such is the hazard of homing two magical children in a muggle household. The Dursley's were under the impression that the children were there for their use and put the twins to work, giving them harsh tasks to complete, and starved them if they misbehaved. The poor treatment was mostly focused on the exceedingly strange elder Potter child, Aster. Apathetic to everything around her, Mr. Dursley seemed to have a hatred for the girl and routinely tried to get her to show a response to his berating. Unperturbed by the contempt shown towards her, Aster thrived in school despite the Dursleys demands to not show up their Duddy-Kins, a feat which even a poorly trained pig would be capable of. Despite her stoicism Harry seemed to enjoy his sisters company, cherishing the scarce instances where Aster comforted him, though small in amount they showed Harry that despite her aloof nature she cared for him and that was all that mattered. Harry was extremely thankful for his sister's care at this moment as she had refused to share the threadbare blanket thrown at them by the Dursleys, instead leaving Harry to enjoy the pitiful protection the rag would provide. The frigid air whistling under the door of the shack didn't seem to effect Aster as her still body didn't even so much as twitch compared to the shaking form curled next to her.

"Hey Aster?" whispered Harry, barely able to get the words out through chattering teeth, daring to inch closer to his sister's warmth.

Whatever reply he would receive was interrupted by a loud bang on the door of the hut, the walls seeming to shake with its force. Aster snapped into a seating position and faced the doorway, barely registering Harry moving to crouch behind her. The bang sounded again, followed by the door falling inwards and revealed a hulk of a man with a wild bushy mane standing in the doorway. The arrival of the wild man seemed to coincide with the entrance of Vernon Dursley carrying a shotgun which he pointed at the new arrival.

"Sorry 'bout that" the man grunted, bending down to pick up the door as easily as one would a feather before slotting it back in the doorway, blocking the cold air.

Vernon slowly shuffled forward, sweaty hands gripping the stock of the shotgun as he aimed at the intruder who was taller than him by more than twice. "I demand you leave at once! You are breaking and entering!"

"Oh, shut up Dursley you great prune." Hagrid snorts, reaching down to bend the barrel of the shotgun upwards, rendering it useless before looking around the hut. "Now where is Aster and Harry?"

"I-I'm Harry."

Seeming to gain confidence Harry peeked out from behind his sister, drawing the attention of the giant who began to bustle over to the twins, settling his great form on the ragged sofa which groaned at its new burden.

"Oh, well, of course you are! Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same. I baked it myself, words and all." The giant handed over a slightly squished square box to Aster, which when opened revealed a sticky chocolate cake which read 'Happee birthdae Aster and Harry'. "Now I know it was ya birthday yesterday Aster but that don' mean we can't celebrate today, woulda got here sooner if it weren't for the storm."

Aster merely blinked at the large man before handing the cake over to Harry who stared at the treat in shock, looking back at the stranger in wonder as he took out an umbrella which when pointed at the dry hearth shot out two sparks of fire which soon engulfed the fireplace, sending warmth throughout the small hut.

"Who are you?" Aster questioned, cold hazel eyes focused on the strange man in suspicion.

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Course, you'll know all about Hogwarts."

"Sorry, no." Harry responded when it became obvious his twin wasn't about to reply.

"No? Blimey, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?" Hagrid questioned, looking between the twins in confusion. Aster stared back unaffected by the giant's scrutiny whilst her brother seemed emboldened by the new information.

"Learned what?"

"You're a wizard Harry, and you're a witch Aster. Bound to be thumping good ones when you're trained up a bit."

The argument that followed this revelation was swiftly ignored by Aster, who tuned it into the background as she stared at the letter in her hand. A letter which seemed to promise an escape from the monotony of life with the Dursley's a fact which caused a faint sense of excitement in Aster, something rarely felt by the impassive girl.

* * *

The twins' entrance into the wizarding world couldn't have been more ridiculous in Aster's opinion as she glared at the witches and wizards crowding around herself and her brother, all striving to shake their hands. Harry in attempt to stop the reaction he knew would occur should anyone touch Aster without her permission, darted in front of his sister, shaking the hands of the crowd, attempting to ignore the cold chill that was emanating from the still form behind him. After a brief encounter with their new DADA teacher, the twins followed behind Hagrid as he entered the backroom of the pub revealing a red brick wall, that upon being tapped in a sequence revealed Diagon Alley. Harry was quickly taken in by the sights as the trio walked down the street, lagging at times, which was swiftly remedied by Aster who took a firm grip on Harry's wrist as they moved towards a large marble building. A sharp tug quickly discouraged his gawping at the small stooped creatures that stood either side of the large silver doors, and forced him to trail behind his sister who passed the creatures without batting an eyelid. The trio soon arrived at a desk inhabited by one of the strange creatures, its long spindly fingers counting small silver and gold discs that littered the surface.

Hagrid cleared his throat, prompting the creature to look down its pointed nose at the trio. "The Potters wish to make a withdrawal."

"And do the Potters have their key?" the goblin questioned peering at the twins, eyes seeming to drift to Harry's forehead before turning to Aster's cheek where a thin red line rested at her lower right eyelid to the middle of her cheek, like that of a harlequin.

"Oh. Wait a minute. Got it here somewhere. Hah. Here's the little devil. Oh, and there's something else as well. Professor Dumbledore gave me this. It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which." Hagrid responded, handing over a small gold key to the goblin, who responded with a raised eyebrow causing Aster to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"Very well. Follow Griphook and he shall take you to your vault." With that the goblin began to turn back to the coins littering his desk before noticing the young witch hadn't followed the two males currently waiting with his co-worker near the cart entrance. An eyebrow was raised at the witch's blank face as she stared back into the goblins beady black eyes uncaringly. "Yes?"

"I wish to speak to someone about my vault." Aster declared, waving off Harry's attempts to get her to follow Hagrid and himself down into the vault. Something wasn't making sense with this whole situation, why did Hagrid have their key, despite his title?

"Very well, Bogrod will show you the way."

Following Bogrod down a hallway, Aster wondered what she was about to be informed of, she hadn't missed the small twitch of the goblins mouth in response to her statement. Whatever it was, it was bound to be something curios, but would it be enough to interest her she mused. Sometimes she wished she could get excited like her brother, she was fully aware she wasn't exactly normal, but she simply didn't care. The duo arrived in an office where another goblin sat behind the desk, seemingly of more importance than the goblin escorting her, as this one wore a smart pinstriped suit and had many rings littering his slender fingers. Bogrod swiftly nodded his head in the Goblins direction before exiting the room, shutting the door behind him with a sharp click.

"Greetings Miss. Potter, I am Ulrak the manager of the Potter accounts. I understand you have some questions about your vault?" the goblin questioned, peering at the young witch before him, who chose to take a seat in the chair opposite himself instead of replying.

The two beings stared at each other in silence for a few moments, broken only when Aster opened her mouth. "You understand correctly. Now forgive me for my ignorance, I was raised away from the magical world as you probably well know, but from what I understand the man who escorted my brother and I here today shouldn't have had access to my vault key. So why may I ask, did he?"

Ulrak stared at the witch before him, lacing his fingers under his chin the rings clinking together softly. "You are correct in your assumption, he should not have had access to your key without your consent. Which I'm assuming you didn't give?"

A flat stare was the only response.

"In that case, the next explanation would be that he was given it by your magical guardian."

"Magical guardian?" Aster questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly at the words, wondering who this could be, as the Dursleys weren't magical and she didn't know of anyone else it could've been.

Ulrak opened a file on his desk, tracing his finger down the page before stopping on the information he was looking for. "A Mr. Albus Dumbledore was appointed your magical guardian after those stated in your parents will were unfit to undertake their duties. Due to this Mr. Dumbledore has had access to your accounts and has regularly withdrawn money from the main account, and a recent withdrawal included an item."

"The headmaster?" Aster replied, eyebrows raising in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, this obviously was more complicated than she previously thought. Complications weren't unwanted though, they were usually interesting enough to keep her attention for a period. "And what were the withdrawals labelled as on the statements?"

Ulrak smiled, a smile full of sharp teeth as he stared at the young witch. "The amounts were stated to being used for the living costs of the Potter twins, a statement which I can now safely assume is incorrect?" A sharp nod from the frosty witch was the only response. "Now you have a few options available to you, and some which will become available as you get older. The best option is to officially claim your place as the Potter head and undertake the responsibilities of that position, by doing this you will be able to reclaim all keys to your vaults and key them into your own magical signature as opposed to your guardians as is your right as the Potter head. He would also no longer have access to any accounts or properties owned by the Potter family."

"How exactly is that done?" Aster questioned before tilting her head to the right as she considered something. "And would doing this alert the headmaster in a negative way?"

"Your guardian would be aware of the changes; however, this option isn't unusual considering your position as heir. It is done simply by obtaining your family ring and being accepted by the family magic." Ulrak unravelled a piece of parchment, signing something fluidly with a metal tipped quill before the parchment disappeared with a 'pop' and in its place, a small black box appeared which was quickly handed to Aster.

Aster stared at the box in her hand taking in the vined detail encompassing the aged wood before opening it to view the ring it housed. The signet ring was surprisingly attractive, a bright gold colour that seemed to swirl slightly underneath the flickering lights of the office, with what Aster assumed to be her families crest embossed into the metal. Picking it up, Aster was intrigued to find that the metal was warm and seemed to thrum with life between her fingertips. Flashing a quick look at the goblin staring at her, she quickly placed it on her left-hand pinkie finger. The ring seemed to shiver, morphing to become more feminine in appearance, the previously thick band shifting to something more feminine before shrinking to fit the small appendage. The ring seemed to have a strange effect on Aster, who had closed her eyes upon the ring taking its place on her finger, twitching slightly as the ring swelled with magic before settling down into the almost undetectable thrum.

"Now that you've been officially recognised as the family head, you are now responsible for the dealings of your accounts and properties. Would you like to overlook these now?" Ulrak questioned, flipping through some files on his desk before pulling one out and handing it over to Aster when she nodded in agreement. "There are some matters to be dealt with if you're willing?"

Aster waved her hand in assent, accepting a pouch which glowed faintly when she touched it and a long chain necklace with a small key attached that also glowed at her touch.

"That's a money pouch linked with your vault, its enchanted with anti-theft and anti-loss charms, when placed down it will be unable to be picked up or opened by anyone other than you. The necklace has your only vault key attached, it has the same charms as the pouch simply show it to any goblin at the counter and you'll gain access to your vault." Ulrak explained, picking up another piece of parchment from a nearby file. "Now, do you wish for your brother to be named as your heir, this will give him access to the inheritance vault? Only the family head has access to the main vault."

"Yes, but restrict the amount withdrawn to 100 galleons per withdrawal. Now what exactly do my responsibilities entail?" Aster questioned, opening the file, and raising an eyebrow at the contents. A property portfolio was included in the file along with an account breakdown which informed Aster that the Potter family was not wanting for money in any category.

"You won't be responsible for most aspects of your role until you reach 17, until then you will only need to make sure to overlook your monthly accounts report and make decisions on any possible investments. Anything else you're incapable of doing until your reach 17 or until you appoint yourself a proxy." Ulrak informed the quiet witch who was currently sifting through the papers in the file.

"How exactly will I receive my reports when not based in the wizarding world? And what exactly is a house elf?" Aster asked, staring at the details of Potter manor which claimed to have a team of 4 house elves in employment.

"Ah, you will receive correspondence through owls both whilst in the magical and muggle world, however the letters are unable to be opened or read by anyone other than yourself. Now house elves are loyal magical creatures bound to their masters for life, you will have inherited their loyalty when the Potter family magic accepted you. House elves have their own magic that differs from that of wizards and as such can perform magic without the use of a wand and are able to go places most wizards cannot, their main duties are usually that of menial domestic tasks." Ulrak explained, smirking at the indifferent face of the young witch opposite him. Briefly he wondered what would it take for her to show more emotion before brushing the thought off with a snort, if it wasn't anything to do with the accounts he oversaw he didn't much care. "They can be summoned simply by saying their name."

Aster reread the document before memorising the name listed under the title of head elf before handing the file back over to the goblin, uninterested in anything else it had to offer for the moment. "I think my queries are satisfied for now." Aster stood up and headed towards the door before pausing, turning back to the goblin. "Why exactly were those my parents chose unfit to fulfil their duties?"

The goblin smirked.

"You and your brother have the same godparents. Your godmother Alice Longbottom is currently in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, receiving treatment after being tortured into insanity. Your godfather Sirius Black is currently in Azkaban, the wizarding prison for life under the charge of killing 12 muggles and giving away the location of the Potters to Lord Voldemort. There was one other person stated by your parents, however, he was rejected by the Ministry of Magic for being a werewolf."

Asters snorted at the information earning a raised eyebrow from the goblin which she ignored and left the room.

"Aster over here!" Harry shouted, waving wildly to catch his stoic sisters attention, receiving a dry look from her in response as the other people in the bank turned around at his shout. Harry blushed faintly, lowering his hand as his twin joined Hagrid and himself. "What happened with the goblins?"

Aster considered her brother silently, pursing her lips in thought before responding. "Nothing much just some interesting information."

Harry just nodded, knowing that no amount of begging would get his sister to share the information, if it was anything bad she would likely find a way to deal with it before it came to his attention anyway. Hagrid furrowed his brows at the quick acceptance of Harry at his sister's dismissal, before bustling the twins out of the bank to continue their shopping.

"Hagrid and I already went to the apothecary whilst waiting for you," Harry informed, indicating the cauldrons filled with items held in one hand by Hagrid, the weight not seeming to bother the half-giant in the slightest. "We're going to the bookstore next, try not to spend too much." Harry taunted, knowledgeable enough in reading his sister to not miss the flash of interest in her hazel orbs.

Flourish and Blotts was quickly entered by the twins, Harry pausing to stare in awe at the peculiar books lining the ceiling high shelves of the bookstore whilst Aster pushed past her brother heading to the aisle labelled 'Hogwarts, first year' and pulled out her letter from her pocket. Quickly moving through the rows Aster gathered the required books, stacking them in her brother's arms as she went, thankful for his help. Finally finished with the required books Aster scanned the rows to find other reading material, ignoring her brothers smirk. She quickly picked out _Healing at Home with Herbs_ byPhyllida Spore, _Magical maladies_ by Anthony Whittle, _Curses and their counter curses_ by Vindictus Viridian _, Extreme Incantations_ by Violeta Snitch _, Charms of Defence and Deterrence_ byProfessor Catullus Spangle _, Jinxes for the Jinxed_ by Frederic Wymer _and A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery_ by Johana Moller. Joining with her brother at the counter, she placed the books on the surface and ignored the employees raised eyebrow and handed over enough money to cover both her reading materials and required schoolbooks.

"Err maybe we should get yer' trunks next," Hagrid suggested looking over the pile of books littering the counter, reaching out to help carry the burden before leading the twins to Chester's storage emporium.

"Welcome to Chester's, what can I help you with today?" a middle-aged man asked moving from behind the counter to speak to the trio, smiling down at the two children. "A trunk for Hogwarts I'm assuming?"

Receiving a nod from the girl, the man turned and nodded towards a rack of chests in colours ranging from a soft brown to an eye wateringly bright yellow. Harry moved forward towards the rack with Hagrid in tow, looking over the trunks towards the more muted colour spectrum.

Aster turned to the employee and gestured towards the trunks. "Do the chests come with anything special or are they simply trunks?"

"All trunks are kitted with anti-muggle charms but any other enchantments are extra. The ones available are featherlight charms, undetectable extension charms and anti-theft charms."

"Undetectable extension?" Aster questioned, an eyebrow raised at the unfamiliar term.

"It allows the extension of the internal dimensions of the trunk without affecting the external dimensions," the man explained. "You can have a simple extension of space to allow for extra room for school supplies or you can have multiple rooms residing in your trunk with the only access point being through the trunk itself, this is quite expensive though."

Aster pondered this for a minute, turning briefly to acknowledge Harry's choice of trunk. "We'll take two trunks, I'll have the dark brown leather trunk with all the charms you mentioned, I want three rooms, one to be used as a library, the second for school supplies and the last undefined for the moment but have that be larger than the others with a high ceiling. My brother will have the black leather trunk with the same charms, however only one room along with an extended storage space for school supplies." The man blinked in response, standing still. "Now." Aster barked, ignoring Hagrid's grumblings at her treatment of the man.

Harry snickered at the man's shock, Aster was what people meant when they said, 'an acquired taste', although many chose to not acquire the taste after being around her for any period. She was blunt almost to the point of rudeness most of the time, something which had gotten her into trouble numerous times with the Dursley's, not that she cared. Harry greatly admired his sister for her impassiveness in the face of the Dursleys and for the times where she'd taken the punishment for his misdeeds without a complaint, even that time she'd been forced to sleep in the garden for a week rather than in the cupboard with Harry. The man returned quickly with the trunks, handing them over to their respective new owners and tried to hide his shock at the lack of reaction to the price of the trunks from the girl. The trip to Madam Malkins was interesting in Aster's opinion, the standoff between her brother and the platinum blonde was mildly amusing if not slightly exasperating. Aster wondered whether a prerequisite to being magical meant an increase in dramatic tendencies, from what she'd seen today she'd be likely to agree. If anything, it was entertaining so Aster brushed off the slight annoyance. After receiving the trunks, which both Aster and Harry placed their supplies in to and handed to Hagrid who easily picked them both up, they left the store.

Walking down the busy high street Harry consulted his school list. "We only need wands now," Harry stated, looking towards his sister, barely able to hide his excitement at the prospect. Aster smiled briefly towards her brother, barely a twitch of her lips but still Harry was satisfied.

"A wand? Well, you'll want Ollivander's. No place better. Run along there, but wait. I just got one more thing I got to do. Won't be long." Hagrid informed, gesturing to a shabby shop with peeling gold letters over the door which read: _Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._

Aster motioned for Harry to follow as she walked towards the shop, taking note of the shop's display, which consisted of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop was tiny, with thousands of narrow boxes which Aster assumed contained wands piled right up to the ceiling of the shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it. Aster surveyed the shop with mild distaste, running a finger on the counter and pursed her lips in disgust at the thick swipe of grey that covered the digit. Harry smiled at his sister, using the excess material of his shirt to wipe off his sister's finger, beaming at the pleased look she sent him. Aster rang the bell on the counter, which seemed to summon a man who appeared on a ladder with a soft thump and stared at the twins, silvery eyes gleaming.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you both here. It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands" Ollivander's stated, pale eyes observing Harry's intrigue at the information and Aster's lack. "Who's going first?"

Harry turned to his sister eyes wide in an unspoken plea and grinned at her nod in assent. Aster moved towards the single chair, lips pursed as she sat on the dusty fabric, crossing her ankles as she observed her brother's interaction with the peculiar man. Mild amusement filtered through Aster at the many failed wands and their consequences, barely repressing a snort at her brother's dismay at a shattered vase.

Ollivander hummed softly as he stared at the box in his hand, "I wonder." Moving towards Harry he lifted out a pale wand and handed it to the boy. "Holly, Phoenix feather core and 11 inches, nice and supple."

Upon touching Harry's palm, the wood glowed faintly and wind began to blow softly through the small shop despite the absence of an open door or window, Harry smiled faintly as the wood seemed to hum in his hands, smile slipping as he saw the enraptured look on Ollivander's face.

"Curious, very curious." Ollivander hummed.

"Sorry, but what's curious?" Harry breathed, uneasy at Ollivander's penetrating stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand gave one other feather, just one. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you and your sister scars." Ollivander informed, reaching forward to touch the scar on Harry's forehead.

"And who owned that wand?" Harry questioned, swallowing roughly in unease.

"Oh, we do not speak his name. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why, but I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great."

"Enough," Aster snapped from her position on the chair, eyes narrowing at the pale eyed man causing her brothers discomfort. She stood up from the chair and moved forward to join the two before pointing at the chair, "Sit."

Harry huffed in response to his sister's order but moved quickly to obey, knowing better than to argue with Aster when she used that tone. Not often did he see his sister riled up but nothing good ever came from it, something both himself and the Dursleys had learnt very quickly. Aster eyes remained narrowed as they followed Ollivander around the shop, noting the man pausing to look at specific boxes before moving on. The experience of finding her wand was much like her brother's, the main difference was the badly hidden pleasure in Aster's eyes as the reaction of failed wands caused considerably more damage than her brothers did. Ollivander paused in his perusal of potential wands, turning to consider the stoic witch before selecting a wand.

"Red Oak, heartstring of a Ukrainian Ironbelly, 12 inches, rigid." Ollivander informed, handing over the wand to Aster.

The reaction between Aster and her wand was again like Harry's, however the wind that whipped through the shop was frigid and overpowering, almost as if a hurricane had just brewed in the small shop. Aster closed her eyes as she felt the wand pulse in her hand, something almost seeming to click into place inside her, a smirk edging the corners of her lips. Opening her eyes as the wind faded she took note of Ollivander's wary stare as he viewed her and the cautiousness in which he regarded her after witnessing the wands response.

"Anything special about my wand?" Aster questioned, her tone mocking as she peered at the uneasy Ollivander. "No wizard with a wand that has the dragon's other heartstring in it? And let me guess he'd wants to kill me too."

Ollivander flinched.

Aster rolled her eyes, of course, more drama. Honestly, is there nothing in the wizarding world that doesn't contain some sort of dramatic overtone? She guessed she brought it on herself, she wanted away from the Dursley's and their normalcy and in return got cast into a magical soap opera.

"How much for the wands?" Aster asked, motioning for her brother to join her which he did quickly.

"7 galleons each." Ollivander replied quietly, seeming drained after the incident in his shop.

Aster nodded in response before turning to her brother and gesturing towards the wand holsters on the far wall of the shop. After choosing their holsters, Harry choosing one which clipped onto the waist of his trousers and Aster picking one which fitted around her forearm and fired the wand into her hand when her wrist moved in a specific way, Aster handed over the total of 22 galleons. Harry turned and walked towards the door, happy to leave the shop which housed the unnerving man. Aster turned to follow, pausing to look back over her shoulder. Hazel eyes glinted coldly as they observed Ollivander's countenance, seemingly satisfied with the man's unease she left the shop.

Re-joining her brother who was happily conversing with Hagrid, Aster took note of two new additions, a white owl with bright yellow eyes who was hooting softly as Harry stroked its head and a large animal crate.

"Ah there you are Aster, got you and Harry birthday presents." Hagrid greeted the young witch, smiling brightly as he handed the carrier over. "He's part Kneazel, they make excellent pets."

Aster peered in the cage and was met by a spitting mass of black fur with furious gold eyes, a paw lashed out towards Aster through the bars of the crate. Hagrid chuckled uneasily, maybe a normal cat would've been better. Aster stared blankly at the cat, grabbing its paw in a tight grip and yanked it, pulling the cat towards her until its face was pressed tightly against the bars. Aster stared back into the feral eyes, her own hazel orbs boring into the cat's gold until the fury was swept away and replaced by intrigue.

"Enough." Aster ordered, eyes narrowing at the cat in the crate until the hisses faded. A rough tongue reached through the bars to lick at the hand holding its paw, barbs scraping softly over digits. Satisfied Aster released the paw and observed the cat which instead of receding to the back of the carrier simply shuffled back, staying close to the bars, golden eyes glinting with fascination as he observed his new owner.

Hagrid shut his mouth with a sharp click, eyes fluttering in shock at the interaction between Aster and her cat, looking around to see if anyone just witnessed the sight, unsuccessfully as everyone including Harry seemed to be ignorant of what occurred. Aster turned away from the staring contest between herself and her cat, eyebrow raising at Hagrid's stumped expression.

"Are we finished now?" Aster questioned the giant, ignoring the yowl from her cat as she turned away, and the paw poking out from between the bars.

"Uh yes, how about some food before you get back?" Hagrid offered, shaking off the strange event. Smiling at Harry's happy assent, Hagrid turned to lead the twins back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Food was quickly ordered and the trio sat down at a booth in the back of the pub, Aster and Harry sitting beside each other as Hagrid's bulk needed one side to himself. Once seated Harry leaned forward towards Hagrid.

"The man who scarred Aster and I, he…he killed our parents didn't he?" Harry questioned, a frown settling on his face.

Aster turned her attention towards her brother at the mention of her name before ignoring the ensuing conversation, preferring to pull one of her books from her trunk rather than get another episode of magical soap opera. She had finished the introduction of _Magical drafts and potions_ by the time their food arrived, thankfully her brother had already finished his queries. The trio quickly ate their food, Hagrid smiling softly under his bushy beard when the twins both fed their new pets a small morsel off their plates. Coughing to gain the twins attention Hagrid motioned for them to begin packing up, it was time for them to get back home.

* * *

The month following their trip to Diagon passed quickly for the twins, possibly due to the lack of interference from the Dursley's in their lives. Originally after returning from Diagon the Dursley's had taken the trunks from the twins locking them under the stairs along with their pets. Strangely the next day both were back in their possession for reasons Harry didn't know, however he suspected it had something to do with his sister. This theory was proved correct when he noticed Vernon flinch away from Aster when she walked by him and Petunia's complete silence whenever Aster was in the room, Harry had wondered what happened but decided it didn't matter when he was no longer expected to do any chores. Harry took full advantage of this new freedom, dragging his sister around with him as he explored Little Whinging properly for the first time, taking his time as they no longer had to worry about being home at a certain point. They were an odd duo, Harry's bright smile despite his overly large clothes and Aster's blank face and apathetic stare as she observed her brother's actions. The sight was made even stranger upon noticing the addition of the large cat that seemed attached to the young girl, brushing up against her ankles and yowling for her attention which was rarely given. Harry found his sisters interactions with Belial, as his sister had named the cat, particularly entertaining as he'd never seen a cat wanting a person's attention more or seen a cat stare at a person with such focus whenever his sister spoke.

September 1st arrived faster than either twin anticipated and involved a very uncomfortable ride to Kings Cross Station, the only one unaffected being Aster who seemed rather amused at the situation. Though it was hard to tell as her face remained blank, Harry only noticing due to the slight lip twitch he'd caught when Vernon had informed with a stumble that they'd arrive on time. Harry once again wondered what exactly his sister had done to the previously caustic man but like he had before, he brushed the thought away. Vernon had unhappily helped the twins place their trunks on the trolleys out front, responding with a grimace when Aster informed she'd let him know when to pick them up by owl, Harry having to hide a smirk at his uncle's reaction. Turning away from Vernon who quickly left when he was no longer needed, the tires of his car screeching, the twins headed into the station.

Harry pulled out his train ticket, pausing at what he saw. "It say's platform 9 and ¾." He turned to stare at platform 9 and 10, with no sign of platform 9 and 3/4 's. "Where is it?" Harry questioned, looking to his sister in unease only to see his sister roll her eyes upwards with a sigh.

"It'll be something dramatic no doubt," Aster droned, already exasperated with the situation.

Almost summoned by her words a fleet of red heads brushed past the twins, four carts with trunks and an owl in tow. "It's the same year after year. Always packed with Muggles, of course." The mother stated, ushering her children towards the pillar in between platform 9 and 10.

"Muggles?" Harry breathed, moving forward only to be stopped by Aster's hand on his elbow.

Looking back into her blank stare he moved back to stand beside her, observing with shock the red headed family disappear as they ran into the pillar separating the platforms. Harry whipped around towards his sister, laughing at her face of distaste at the unusual method of accessing the platform, before rushing forward, Aster following closely behind as they accessed the platform. The twins observed the large scarlet train before them, Harry's wide-eyed delight in sharp contrast to the Aster's unamused orbs. Finding an empty compartment was easy, and thankfully so was lifting their trunks into the train, they lacked weight thanks to the featherlight charms applied and as such were easy to manoeuvre onto the racks above the seats. Harry's owl, Hedwig, was placed onto the table in her cage whilst Aster sat next her brother releasing Belial before storing his cage above with her trunk. Happy to be released Belial stretched languidly, turning his attention to his master who returned his gaze blankly, before deciding to test his luck and jumped onto her lap, purring in delight when he wasn't immediately shoved off.

"He's spoilt," Aster stated with displeasure, staring at the cat on her lap who was happily purring despite the lack of affection shown to him, seemingly happy just to be close to her.

Harry snorted and stroked Hedwig's head through the bars of her cage, earning an affectionate nip from the bird. "Impossible," Harry disagreed, before pausing. "Although I think you did smile at him when he brought you that rat yesterday so maybe that's why…"

"It was rather large." Aster replied, not reacting to her brother's mocking. Opening her mouth to speak, the compartment door opening interrupted her, revealing a red headed boy with dirt on his nose.

"Do you mind? Everywhere else is full?" the boy asked, gesturing toward the empty seats.

"No, not at all," Harry responded, smiling at the boy whilst his sister simply stared.

"Thanks," the boy replied, taking a seat opposite Harry, slightly uneasy at the flat stare he received from the girl. "I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley."

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter. She's Aster."

Ron's jaw dropped, gawping at the two in front of him. "So-so it's true?! I mean, do you really have the...the..."

"The what?" Harry prompted, seeming confused at the boy's stutters. Aster merely narrowed her eyes in distaste at the boy, Belial noticing his master's dislike glared at the boy, golden orbs glinting fiercely.

"The scar," Ron whispered, eyes moving toward the thin red line underneath Aster's right eye before turning back to Harry.

"Oh, yes." Harry responded, seemingly unbothered by the boy's question and lifted his fringe up, revealing the lightning shaped scar.

"Wicked," Ron breathed, staring in awe at the scar before smiling at Harry.

Any further questioning was interrupted by the arrival of a short witch with a trolley full of confectionary the likes of which the twins had never seen. The witch smiled, "Anything off the trolley dears?"

"No thanks," Ron replied, his words contrasting with the envious look directed towards the brightly coloured sweets, holding up a slightly squashed package of sandwiches.

Harry sent a pleading look towards Aster, inclining his head towards Ron. Aster pursed her lips and nodded her head sharply, not pleased but didn't deny her brother the attempt to please his new friend. Harry turned to the plump witch and smiled, "We'll take the lot."

The compartment was soon filled with the smell of sugar as the two boys dug into the sweets, happily conversing as Ron explained the different types of wizarding candy available. A yowl of glee followed by frenzied squeaking cut through the happy chatter. Belial was stood crouched over a fat rat, tail whipping in pleasure as the rat squeaked in panic.

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted in shock, moving forward to grab his rat only to back away as the cat arched his back and hissed threateningly. He looked imploringly towards Harry.

Harry bit his lip, turning to his sister who seemed unperturbed by her cat's actions and was staring at the situation with mild interest. "Aster please?" Harry pleaded softly, eyes flicking over to Ron's distressed face with Scabbers squeaking increasing in pitch as Belial bared his fangs at the rat caught in his grasp. Aster looked at her brother.

"Belial."

The cat shot off the rat and landed next to his master, staring at her in fixation as she observed him briefly. Aster eyes moved towards the redhead who was staring uneasily at her, watery blue eyes turning to glare at her cat. Aster turned to her brother, "I don't remember the pet list including rats."

Pleased at his sister's explanation, Harry turned to Ron. "I'm sorry Ron, I guess Belial thought it was food, I'm sure if he knew it was your pet he wouldn't have done that." Harry stated, smiling comfortingly at the boy.

Ron smiled back and made to continue the conversation that'd been interrupted by the misunderstanding, though, as he flicked his eyes towards Belial he wondered if it had been a mistake as the cat bared his fangs at him. Belial purred as his master stroked his head, shivering under her rare affection, feverish golden eyes peering into blank hazel. The next three hours passed in a haze of sweets and friendship building for the two boys of the compartment, who despite the slight altercation seemed to be making fast friends, a fact which highly pleased Harry. As expected, Aster wanted no part in this and turned her attention to _Charms of Defence and Deterrence_ a book she had already read cover to cover, but nonetheless began to read it again paying attention to pages which she'd previously dog-eared, a liquorice wand poking out from her lips.

"Fred gave me a spell as to turn him yellow. Want to see?" Ron asked, pulling out a battered looking wand, a thin silvery wisp poking out from the end.

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed, leaning forward eagerly.

The compartment door banged open.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." A bushy haired girl asked, peering around the compartment as if the toad would suddenly appear.

"No," Ron replied sharply, angered at the interruption.

"Oh, you're doing magic, are you? Let's see." The witch implored, peering eagerly at Ron.

Ron stuttered briefly before directing his wand towards the rat on his lap, "Sunshine, daises, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

Nothing happened.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only tried a few simple spells myself, and they've all worked for me." The girl boasted before turning her attention towards the compartments other occupants.

"Holy cricket, you're Harry and Aster Potter!" the girl breathed in awe, rushing to introduce herself. "I'm Hermione Granger." The newly introduce Hermione turned to Ron, "And you are?"

"Ron Weasely," the boy returned through a mouth full of chocolate.

Hermione grimaced, "pleasure. You three better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione stood up and left the compartment, quickly returning to point at Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there," before leaving again.

Ron huffed in embarrassment, rubbing his nose roughly.

The journey across the black lake towards Hogwarts had been enchanting, even Aster could admire the glowing figure of the grand castle which loomed out of the darkness. Their arrival at the castle was followed by an address from a stern looking witch who explained the basic house structure that Hogwarts employed, taking time to peer down unimpressed at a rotund boy who Aster deduced was Neville by the toad in his arms, before leaving.

"It's true then, what they're saying on the train. The Potter's have come to Hogwarts." A male voice stated, the crowd of students parting to reveal the boy from Madam Malkins, his words causing whispering to break out between students. He nodded towards two large boys who stood half a pace behind him, "This is Crabbe, and Goyle and I'm Malfoy...Draco Malfoy."

Ron snickered at the boy's name, earning a dark look from Draco.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand me down robe? You must be a Weasley. Well soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter's. Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." Draco sneered at Ron, turning to offer his hand towards the Potters. "I can help you there."

Harry eyed the hand with distaste, turning away from the boy. "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."

Draco's face fell, beginning to settle into a glare before his hand was caught. Turning to face the owner, Draco stared back at the witch holding his hand in shock. Cold hazel eyes, sleek raven locks falling to her shoulders and a blank face greeted Draco, whose face shifted into a smirk. Despite her apathetic countenance, it didn't affect her attractiveness only seeming to emphasise her appeal, Draco mused, likening it to how people would view a statue, beautiful without emotion. He shook her hand, before walking away.

"Aster," Harry grumbled, staring at his sister in disagreement. "Why'd you accept?"

Aster raised an eyebrow at her brother's challenging tone. "You can enjoy your little rivalry, but don't bring me into it." Aster warned, eyes flashing sharply when Harry opened his mouth to argue. Noticing the change Harry backed down quickly. He was still upset but knew better than to push, Aster always had a reason, even if that reason was only to amuse herself.

The stern witch from before appeared and led the group of children into a grand hall which hosted four large tables, each with students bearing different coloured emblems on their cloaks, floating candles whose dripping wax seemed to not fall on those below and seemingly without a roof, a view of the night sky taking its place. A ragged hat was placed on a stool in front of the head table, which began to sing much to Aster's distaste shown by her slight sneer.

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger." McGonagall announced, reading from a roll of parchment.

Aster tuned out as the sorting continued, briefly turning to pay attention as Draco was sorted into Slytherin noting his haughty expression as he strode toward the applauding table decked in silver and green. A hand on her arm dragged her out of her thoughts, swinging around to see who touched her, calming as she met the bright green of her brother's eyes, eyebrow raising at his pained expression.

"Aster my scar hurts when I look at that teacher," Harry informed in a hushed tone, indicating a pale dark-haired man who was staring at the twins with a sneer. Aster looked over her brother's form, taking note of the clasped hand on his forehead and the slight sweat visible beneath his fringe before turning to stare at the teacher in question.

Severus Snape shifted uneasily as the previously dead eyed girl seemed to transform into a figure of finely controlled fury, eyes seeming to sear with a tangible intensity despite her blank expression. Turning his eyes away from the twins, he tried to ignore the glower he could feel bore into him, eyes only flickering back when he no longer felt its weight. Unease continued to fester in Snape as he looked over the girl's face, taking note of the emptiness that now took its place in the hazel orbs.

"Harry Potter!"

The hall went quiet in anticipation as Harry walked up and placed the hat on his head, hundreds of eyes peering at him in curiosity. Aster stared as her brother squirmed uncomfortably on the stool, the sorting seeming to take longer than usual if the slight mutterings from around her were to be believed. The loud shout of "GRYFFINDOR!" cut off the mutters as the table decked in gold and red exploded into cheers, a pair of red-headed twins shouting their pleasure at their new housemate particularly loud. Harry smiled wildly, eyes flickering to his sister's stony figure, smile widening as he saw her eyes tracking his movements towards the still cheering table.

The sorting resumed until only Aster remained, impassive despite the stares boring into her as she sat on the stool, ignoring the whispered reactions to her name.

 _Hmm very interesting. Haven't had one like you in a while._

Aster didn't react to the voice, blinking languidly as the hat continued its appraisal.

 _Very intelligent mmm and plenty of knowledge. But there's ambition too, so much ambition…and such an impressive goal for one so young..._

 _A lot of darkness in you, but you hide it so well… Ravenclaw or Slytherin would suit you well enough_

 _But I think you'd best be suited in_ HUFFLEPUFF!

The hall was silent. Snape's jaw dropped open slightly at the hat's decree, how had the furious girl he'd glimpsed been placed with the soft-hearted badgers? The hall seemed to overcome the shock of the sorting, the Hufflepuff table erupting into roars as they stood on their feet cheering. Unaffected at the result, Aster took off the hat and strode towards the still cheering table, briefly acknowledging her brothers cheering, and was slightly amused at Draco's addition to celebration, the pale boy offering a reserved clap despite his housemate's odd looks.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff," a slightly older boy greeted Aster, leaning forward to offer a hand. "I'm Cedric Diggory."

Aster stared at the boy, face blank as she ignored the offered hand before turning her attention to the food which had appeared on the table. Refraining from piling her plate, Aster instead poured herself a cup of tea and sipped the scalding liquid, ignoring the attempts to get her attention from her housemates.

"What a bitch…" a girl muttered from beside Cedric, glaring at the stoic witch sipping tea.

Cedric hushed the girl with a frown, "She's probably just nervous Alice. I'm sure she'll relax soon enough."

Lips twitching, Aster hid her reaction with another sip of tea as she overheard the conversation, pleased at the entertainment value being supplied from the naïve boy and his catty friend who continued to bicker.

Soon the feast ended, with some parting words from Dumbledore that earned a soft snort from Aster at the feigned senility, she was herded by a boy and girl who introduced themselves as the Hufflepuff prefects. The explanation of how to gain entrance to the common room was not as dramatic as Aster expected, simply to tap the correct barrel to the syllables of Helga Hufflepuff, contrasting with the dramatic deterrent of being doused with vinegar if the password was entered incorrectly. Her house's common room was homey with its overstuffed furnishings in gold tones and its enchanted windows which bathed the room in an unnaturally warm glow that contrasted with the darkness Aster knew had overtaken the grounds outside the castle, low hanging plants whose leaves brushed the floor in places finished off the look. The cosiness of the room was interrupted by the loud yowls that seemed to originate from a staircase to the left of the room, the pitch increasing as the door to the common room closed behind the group of first years and prefects.

"Someone's cat I'm assuming?" the female Hufflepuff student questioned, looking over the small group of first year girls in unease as the yowls increased in fervour followed by a loud crash.

The assorted group turned their attention towards the staircase as a large mass of black fur shot down the stairs, feral eyes gleaming as it bared its sharp fangs at the squealing girls and the male prefect who stepped forward wand pointed at the furious animal. Noticing the aggressive stance of the boy focused on him, the cat seemed to puff up its fur appearing even larger as it spat angrily, not backing down from the confrontation. Gulping slightly the boy opened his mouth, wand glowing faintly.

"Belial."

At once the cat calmed, fur relaxing to lay flat down its back, tail lashing as he scanned the room for his master, golden eyes catching her figure behind the boy still pointing his wand. Reassured that the separation from his master was over, the cat stalked over to Aster, rubbing up against her legs fondly, mewing in pleasure. Looking over to her uneasy house mates, Aster tilted her head at their stares prompting them to look away.

Coughing slightly to regain focus, the male prefect put away his wand and began his welcoming speech. "Anyway, welcome to Hufflepuff, I'm Andrew Harper and this is Sarah Dawes, we're your house prefects. Our head of house is Pomona Sprout, who's also head of herbology, she's always willing to listen if you have any queries but try to talk to us before seeking her out whenever possible. Now Hufflepuff doesn't have the same reputation as the other houses but Hufflepuff's can always pride themselves on their loyalty and work ethic. Breakfast starts at 8am until 9am, lunch is from 12 until 1, dinner is served at 5 until 7. Your timetables will be handed out tomorrow at breakfast, meet me down here at 8:15am and I'll take you all to the Great Hall."

With that over, the prefects directed the first years towards their dorms, boys up the right staircase and girls on the left. Entering the dorm labelled first year, Aster moved over to the bed next to the large bay window where her trunk was placed, picking up the fallen cat carrier noting the broken latch. Belial sent a dirty look towards the carrier before leaping onto the bed, settling down at its foot, golden eyes narrowed towards the two girls who had followed his master into the room.

"I'm Susan Bones." Introduced a pale girl with long red hair pulled back in a thin braid.

"I'm Hannah, Hannah Abbot." Responded a pink-faced girl, blonde haired pulled into pig tails as she smiled shyly at her room mates.

Both girls turned their attention towards their other roommate, an introduction wasn't necessary, both girls had grown up to the story of Voldemort's defeat at the hands of Aster and her brother.

Hazel eyes stared at the two girls blankly. "I'm Aster."

An awkward silence descended in the room, only seeming to affect Hannah and Susan who squirmed slightly. Understanding that their attention wasn't being appreciated, the two girls began to converse with each other, whispered giggles echoing in the bare room as they began to unpack.

Aster sighed as the giggles increased in volume before readying for bed, closing the golden drapes around the bed and settled down. She'd practice the silencing charm tomorrow, for now she settled underneath the patch work quilt and slept.

* * *

Waking up to a cat the size of a border collie on your chest is not a pleasant way for anyone to wake up, however that's how Aster's first day of Hogwarts started. Belial quickly noticed his master's less than impressed reaction and quickly moved back to the foot of the bed, turning to observe the sleeping occupants of the room as Aster dressed. Slightly amused at her cat's courtesy Aster swiftly left the dorm to head to the great hall for breakfast, Belial slinking after her, sticking close to her heels. It wasn't hard to retrace her steps from the previous night to get to the great hall, although an incident with a moving staircase had earned an irritated huff. Although slightly early to breakfast, it being 7:30am instead of 8am, food already littered the long tables which a few students were already beginning to tuck into. One of these students was Cedric Diggory, who upon seeing Aster enter the room smiled widely, gesturing for the girl to sit opposite him. Intrigued Aster did so.

"Good morning."

"Morning." Aster responded, reaching towards the carafe of tea, and poured herself a cup, swatting Belial away as he nosed towards a platter of sausages.

"Ah so that's the cat I've heard so much about," Cedric stated, observing the overly large cat attempting to get the girls attention.

"Oh?"

"Your cat caused a stir among the upper years last night, Andrew was attempting to convince the others it was part demon." Cedric replied jokingly, taking note of the soft snort that escaped the girl. Lips twitching Cedric reached towards the cat, "he looks harmless though."

A loud hiss and a swipe of sharp claws followed Cedric's actions, blood beading on the boys previously flawless hand. Shocked, Cedric turned to look at the witch opposite him, who returned his look with indifference. Really it was his own fault, Aster mused as she watched the boy dab at his bleeding hand with a napkin. Belial didn't exactly look harmless and he was idiotic for thinking so.

"Belial, go get your breakfast." Aster ordered, fed up of swatting the cat away from the platters on the tables. The cat hurried to obey, the mass of black fur disappearing out of the hall within seconds of the missive.

"Maybe Andrew was right," Cedric chucked uneasily, eyes focussed on where the cat had exited.

"Perhaps."

The duo lapsed into silence as they ate their breakfast, a hearty full English for Cedric whilst Aster chose to dine on fruit and yoghurt along with another cup of tea. Soon students began to filter in as the clock ticked over past 8am, and the hall began to fill with the mutterings of students and utensils scraping on plates. Aster's attention was diverted away from her meal when a hand touched her shoulder. Unhappy at the casual contact Aster turned to face the perpetrator, who flinched away from the cold look in her eyes.

"Oh," Pomona Sprout exclaimed, quickly recovering from the shock, and handed over a piece of parchment to the young witch. "Here's your timetable, have a nice day." With that the squat witch bustled off, searching out her other first years, happy to see Diggory attempting to befriend the odd young witch.

"What's your first class?" Cedric questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"Potions."

A grimace crossed the boy's face. "Unlucky, you'd think the teachers would put something else as your years first lesson."

"Why?"

Happy at Aster's continuation of the conversation, Diggory continued. "Professor Snape," Cedric started, pointing towards the black-haired teacher her brother had mentioned the night before. "He's not known to be the nicest teacher, in fact he's referred by many as the 'dungeon bat'. Make sure to pay attention in his lessons, you'll regret it otherwise."

Intrigued at the information Aster turned back to the teacher, hazel eyes tracking over his figure, taking note of the flowing black robe adoring his shoulders and the sallow complexion. He was rather young compared to the other teachers, seeming to be in his mid-thirties although he was obviously accomplished enough if he was a professor at Hogwarts. It was interesting, Aster decided, starting to anticipate the coming lesson despite Cedric's warnings.

"Could you show me the way to the classroom?" Aster questioned the boy opposite her, undoubtedly the lesson would prove entertaining.

Smiling widely Cedric agreed.

Noting the eager response of the boy Aster hid a grimace, resolving to learn the way to all her classrooms as soon as possible. The potions classroom was in the dungeons, unsurprising considering the teachers nickname, and was appealing in a strange way. The large square classroom was outfitted with long tables that seated four each, with a stone handwashing station located on the left, whilst the entire right wall was covered in a multitude of different sized jars which were filled with the oddest contents, from still scuttling beetles to large eyeballs floating in a green tinted solution. Barely acknowledging Cedric's goodbye, Aster entered the classroom, taking a seat towards the front of the class to the left of large desk positioned on a slightly raised podium. Other students began to filter in, seeming to sit in groups consisting of their houses, although Aster was joined by Draco and his two goons. Harry flashed a smile at his sister, happy to see her despite his concerns about her seating partners. The soft chattering of the classroom was cut off with the slam of the classroom door hitting the wall as professor Snape strode in, waving his wand at the blackboard where instructions for a boil cure began to appear, written by a floating piece of chalk.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few, who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper…in death." Snape paused, taking note of the male Potter writing, seemingly not paying attention. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not...pay...attention." Obsidian eyes bored into the young wizard, a sneer forming as he once again noticed the resemblance of the boy.

Hermione nudged Harry harshly in the ribs, prompting the boys head to pop up.

"Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape questioned, ignoring Hermione's hand which flung into the air. Harry shrugged. "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"No? Do you happen to know the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"

"I don't know, Sir."

Snape sneered, a mocking tilt to his lips. "Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter? What about you Miss. Potter?"

Aster tilted her head in consideration as she observed the man in front of her, noting the way his eyebrow raised at the sight of Draco beside her. "The draught of the Living Death, the stomach of a goat and there is no difference, they're the same plant."

Snape pursed his lips.

"Well why aren't you writing any of this down?" Snape snapped, turning to take a seat at his desk as his students hurried to comply. Obsidian eyes remained on the apathetic witch for the lessons entirety.

The first months of term had passed quickly and relatively without incident in Aster's opinion, there'd been a few entertaining moments in classes where teachers had reacted with shock at her ease in their classes and what Aster had now dubbed 'the broomstick incident'. This incident being of course another episode of _Magical Life_ , a term Aster had decided to use when drama increased to truly operatic levels. The most recent episode involved an aerial showdown between her brother, Draco and a Rememberall and resulted in Harry becoming 'the youngest seeker in a century', a fact her brother had gleefully told her. The entertainment value was short lived though, Aster had allowed her brother a few moments of excitement before she'd reminded him he had no broom. However, it seemed the episode had ended in a continue, as the show picked up the next morning when a broom had dropped in front of her brother at breakfast, practically landing in his cereal.

Halloween had arrived soon enough although Aster was torn between amusement and disdain as she walked into the Great Hall for dinner. The other students had been ridiculous with their excitement towards the holiday, though she assumed there had to be something special about a magical Halloween. The floating pumpkins and horde of bats occupying the air above the tables was a good start she supposed. Although, she was disappointed by the lack of food options. It seemed candy consumption was compulsory during Halloween. Continuing to ignore Cedric's attempts to convince her to try the jelly beans that undoubtedly weren't just jelly beans, Aster sipped her tea.

"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!"

As one the entirety of the hall turned to stare at the panting form of Professor Quirrel, who promptly fainted. The hall was silent for a second, before screaming erupted from the tables. Aster observed the scene with interest, eyes trailing back to see that Quirrel had disappeared in the chaos.

Dumbledore's bellow had restored calm to the hall, with the instructions to head to their dormitories. Getting to her feet, Aster wondered if he had forgotten the location of the Slytherin dorms or had conveniently forgotten in the panic. Aster smirked.

"Aster!" Harry shouted, grabbing his sister's shoulder. "I need your help!"

Aster considered her brother, taking note of Ron behind him. "With?"

"Hermione's in the girl's bathroom, she doesn't know about the troll!"

Aster hummed slightly, calm despite the hysteria that had picked up around the trio. "Your point?"

"Aster!" Harry huffed, staring at his sister imploringly. Rolling her eyes, Aster gestured for Harry to lead the way.

It wasn't exactly hard to locate the bathroom; the situation was probably helped by the rancid stench wafting down the corridor and the screaming. The trio ran into the bathroom, pausing as they took in the scene. Half the stalls had been smashed by the troll's club with was slowly winding up for a second pass, which would probably end up killing Hermione who was currently trapped in the collapsed stalls.

"Harry."

At his sister's whisper, the boy in question turned.

"When I say go I want you to run for Hermione, grab her and leave. Okay?" Harry began to protest, stopping at the sharp look in his sister's eyes before nodding.

"GO!"

Aster flicked her wrist, her wand firing into her hand, before slashing sharply downwards towards the troll. The movement followed by the troll flying towards the wall opposite her, out of the way of her brother who scrambled towards the still screaming Hermione. Ron helped Harry carrying Hermione from the room, the girl seeming unsteady as tears flooded down her cheeks. The troll stumbled to its feet, roaring in anger as it turned to face the only other occupant of the room, stepping forward with its club raised.

Aster smiled.

"What're you doing here!" McGonagall shouted as she strode towards her three students, eyes flitting over them nervously as she turned to point her wand at the bathroom where loud wails sounded. Behind her followed Snape and Quirrel, the former slightly limping.

"It's my fault professor." Hermione replied, continuing despite the gaping of her year mates. "I went looking for the troll. I'd read about them and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't gotten me out whilst Aster distracted the troll…I'd probably be dead."

"Aster? Troll?" McGonagall exclaimed, a hand raising to her mouth as the wails increased in pitch for a second before it went quiet. "Oh lord."

The bathroom door opened, alerting the group who stared in shock at the sight before them, although Quirrel raised his eyebrow in interest.

"The troll's dead." Aster stated, seemingly unbothered by the flecks of blood littering her face or the dark footprints trailing behind her as she walked to the immobile group.

"Impossible," Snape sneered as he eyed the girl, slightly uneasy as the girl turned her cold eyes towards him, a red droplet tracing its way down the curve of her cheekbone.

"Forgive me, I wasn't aware that trolls contained the ability to live without their head." Aster replied, hazel eyes shifting towards Ron who had finally hit his limit and vomited.

McGonagall gaped at the young witch. "W-without its head?"

"After the third time it got up it began to become tedious. Much like this conversation is beginning to." Aster answered, turning to look towards her shifting brother. Seeming to take this as an invitation Harry practically flew towards his sister, slamming into her with a fierce hug, unbothered by the blood covering her form.

Snape moved towards the bathroom as McGonagall began to berate the four pupils, opening the door slowly and Quirrel trailed behind him. Well, it was as the girl said. Collapsed in a heap by the remains of the bathroom stalls laid the decapitated troll, although that wasn't its only injury. The creature had been flayed, although it's arms and legs were most definitely broken. The girl was smart, Severus had to admit. Trolls skin, whilst impervious to most spells including stunners and most charms was not immune to the Severing charm although it would take some time to break through its rough hide, which explained the broken limbs. The troll would've been helpless as the girl flayed him alive and decapitated him. Snape sneered as Quirrel fainted once again. Pathetic. Exiting the bathroom Severus re-joined Minerva, leaving Quirrel on the floor of the bathroom. He eyed the first years with concealed interest, Aster was still in the company of her brother who had taken to clinging to her hand instead of the tight embrace he'd had previously, Weasely was still looking green despite already vomiting and Granger had calmed slightly although tears still made their way down her cheeks.

"Now off to bed with you all!"

With the dismissal from McGonagall the four students departed to make their way back to their houses, quickly disappearing from the teachers view. McGonagall turned to Severus.

"The troll…?"

"Is dead."

With that the two professors lapsed into silence, both their eyes straying to the crimson footprints that trailed down the corridor.

* * *

"Are you excited for Christmas?" Cedric questioned, drawing Aster from her thoughts.

Surprisingly Cedric had continued to extend the hand of friendship towards Aster. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Aster had slowly begun to tolerate his presence, if only for the entertainment value of the standoffs between the attractive 3rd year and her cat. Cedric was just happy that the 1st year now occasionally contributed to their conversations, rather than ignoring him, even if those contributions were often short with the occasional sigh if she deemed the conversation too boring.

"I don't particularly see the appeal."

"Really?" A shocked Cedric questioned, "not even looking forward to presents?"

A flat look stare was the only reply.

Cedric chuckled uneasily, a pink hue overtaking his cheeks. Aster ignored the sight, turning her attention back to the piece of parchment that contained her vault statement for the month, she'd decided to invest in a new broom prototype after her brother continued to rant about Quidditch in their weekly talks. It wasn't a large investment, the inventor hadn't had any other investors and in return for a lump sum of 10,000 galleons, a mere drop in the bucket for the amount housed in the main Potter vault, she'd gained a 35% share in the _Firebolt._ A rather flamboyant name in Aster's opinion, but nonetheless the development was going well from the occasional letter she'd received from Spudmore and the broom would be ready for distribution sometime in her third year. Finished with the report Aster left the table, waving a hand at Cedric's farewell before leaving the Great Hall and decided to head to the library.

"Potter!"

Pausing on the staircase the young witch turned to face the shout, vaguely recognising the flustered Hufflepuff in front of her.

"Yes?"

"Your cat…" the boy huffed, out of breath from the mad rush he'd made to catch up with the young girl. "It's got a house elf in the common room, we can't get it to leave the thing alone."

Interested, Aster gestured for the boy to lead the way, she'd finally see what a house elf was. There was a crowd forming in the common room, headed by Professor Sprout who was attempting to reason with the cat, a fact which caused Aster to snort softly. Moving through the crowd, Aster was greeted with a peculiar sight. Belial was crouched over a short grey skinned creature with wide blue eyes, dressed in what seemed to be a tea towel. The sight was made even more ridiculous with the addition of the creature screaming it was a 'bad elf' followed by the elf hitting itself in the head, which seemed to amuse the cat located on its chest.

"Ah Aster, we have a problem. Your cat seemed to be startled by the house elf when one of the prefects called for some help, and this is the result." Professor Sprout explained, waving a hand at the strange site occupying the ground in front of the fireplace.

"Why is the elf hitting itself?" Aster questioned, head tilted as she observed the scene. Belial had noticed his masters entrance mewing a greeting but seemed happy to stay where he was, the strange creature below him was entertaining with the way it squealed.

"House elves tend to punish themselves if they perceive they've done something wrong, we can't get it to calm down fully, any time we get it to stop your cat riles the poor elf back up again." Sprout explained, directing her gaze towards the unapologetic cat who dug his claws into the creature at her words.

"Belial, leave it." Aster snapped, growing annoyed at the elf's snivelling. Her cat hissed at the creature before striding over to his master, brushing up against her legs happily as the elf disappeared with a 'pop'.

Pomona smiled slightly at the sight in front of her, the young witch and her cat were an odd pair. She'd originally raised concerns with her colleagues about the girl, worrying about her solitary nature although she had noticed the presence of Diggory at meal times, she hadn't seen her around her others in her year. Her concerns were brushed off by Minerva who'd declared, "She's hardly alone Pomona with the amount of times I've spotted that cat of hers slinking in the shadows after her, you'd think it was her shadow!" Pomona had to concede with the statement, she'd spotted the cat lingering outside the greenhouses when the female Potter was inside. The cat was certainly a point of interest among the staff, Kneazel/cats were often independent creatures however this one rarely strayed away from Aster unless specifically told by his master. Irma Pince had mentioned that the duo often settled themselves in the library after lesson times, although the girl wasn't studying school material, instead seeming to stay close to medical journals both muggle and magical.

Then there was the incident with the troll, Minerva had beside herself as she ranted Halloween night. How exactly the girl had managed to take on a fully-grown Troll and escape unharmed beside being covered in blood, of which none had been hers. At the prompt of Albus, Severus had explained the method Aster had used to kill the Troll. The logical nature of the method had seemed to impress Severus as he hadn't even sneered once whilst explaining, though Pomona knew he'd never admit it.

Despite the abnormal nature of the girl, Pomona had a soft spot for her, probably helped by the fact she was the best student in the year. A fact Pomona secretly revelled in at the weekly staff meetings, where Minerva and Fillius regularly argued over whose house had the stronger students, however this time Pomona could join in herself. Although both her colleagues had to agree that despite her lack of contribution to class debates, Aster Potter was far ahead of those in her year and perhaps some above. The incident with the Troll had proven that. The debates had finally been settled with the results of end of term exams, they had proven Pomona to be correct. Aster had received full marks in all her exams, an ordeal which hadn't seemed to phase the girl who hadn't even reacted to the news, seeming unsurprised. Pomona had hidden a smirk when the new debate was over who was second best, both her colleagues seeming to give up on their students scoring first place.

"Is that all you needed?" Aster questioned, leaving the common room for the library with cat in tow when receiving an affirmative.

As she followed the familiar path to the library Aster wondered when she'd be able to make some headway with her project. Like the hat had said, she had a goal, one she was going to achieve before she left school no matter what, it would interfere with her other plans otherwise. Her research had slowed to a standstill, whilst she'd figured out a basic plan, she didn't have the necessary tools or ingredients to implement it. The sourcing of ingredients would probably take the rest of the school year, but she still hadn't figured out an effective way to test it out. Aster located the book she'd previously been reading, settling down at a table and began to read.

"Umm Aster…?" Harry questioned, drawing a sigh from his sister as she looked up from her book.

"Yes?" Eyebrow raising at her brother and his friends, repressing a smirk at the uneasy look on Ron's face as he caught sight of Belial and the badly hidden jealousy in Hermione's eyes. The girl hadn't accepted being second best well, her brother had told her that when they'd received their marks Hermione had seemed smug up until the point where McGonagall had congratulated her on being 'second best'.

"Do you know someone called Nicolas Flamel?"

"Flamel?" Aster repeated, humming softly, the name was familiar. "Ah, he was friends with Dumbledore, he created something called a 'Philosopher's Stone'." Aster had done some research into the headmaster when she'd arrived at Hogwarts, she hadn't forgotten what the goblins had told her.

Harry smiled widely, thanking his sister before he ran off with his friends.

Aster wondered if the stone was here at Hogwarts, it would certainly explain Hagrid's strange package which her brother had informed her about and the currently forbidden 3rd floor corridor. The reasoning for it being hidden here currently escaped Aster, something that prompted research, especially if her brother seemed so interested in the thing. With that thought in mind, Aster pushed the medical text away and headed towards the section on Alchemy, finding a book detailing Flamel with relative ease. The stone could transmute any metal it touched into gold, and something called the 'elixir of life'. It certainly was interesting; the transmutation would be useful Aster mused. Pausing as she remembered something Aster hid a smirk and slammed the book shut and quickly left the table heading towards her dorm, Belial scurrying after her long strides.

Pushing the door to her dorm open Aster was relieved to find the room empty and opened her trunk, and began to head down the stairs that appeared when she tapped her wand on the lid and asked for access to her rooms. The trunks lid shut close behind her as she stepped off the stairs, gaining view of an empty circular room, with three doors spread out equally on the stone walls. Choosing the door labelled library, Aster raised her eyebrow as she entered a library of similar size to that in Hogwarts, the only difference being the distinct lack of books in hers and instead of rows of tables her library had seating area consisting of overstuffed arm chairs and comfortable looking leather couches.

"Tilly?"

A soft pop echoed in the empty room, revealing a female house elf with wide blue eyes and a dirty tea towel which had been fashioned into a dress. The elf looked around in confusion before setting eyes on the young witch, so similar in looks to her old master.

"Mistress calls for Tilly?" the house elf questioned, earning a head tilt from the witch.

"I have a task for you Tilly."

"Tilly is willing to help mistress."

"Are you able to locate an object hidden in the castle for me?" Aster questioned the house elf, a satisfied gleam taking over her eyes at the elf's affirmative squeak. "It's located somewhere in the third-floor corridor, it's a small red stone it'll probably been hidden well. I want you to retrieve the object without any one knowing its gone, understand?"

Tilly nodded emphatically, happy to help her mistress and popped out from the room. Satisfied Aster turned to leave the room, pausing as a second 'pop' echoed in the room, spinning around to catch sight of Tilly.

"Tilly got the stone!" the elf squeaked, handing over a small red stone which gleamed under the bright library lights.

Shocked at the quickness of the retrieval Aster bestowed the elf with a pleased look. "Good elf."

"M-Mistress is a good mistress!" Tilly wailed, overwhelmed at the praise, tennis ball eyes overflowing with tears.

Sighing Aster dismissed the still crying elf, and placed the red stone on one of the empty book shelves, a small smile twitched on her face before she left the room. She still had research to continue after all.

Christmas break had passed quickly, Aster had spent the break in the Gryffindor dorms with her brother by his request, though Aster had made sure to check with McGonagall before staying the night. She'd been surprised at receiving a present from Cedric, a journal which could only be opened by her and would appear blank to anyone that tried, a useful item in Aster's opinion. Harry had received a few sweets and a knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasely, Aster had received one as well oddly enough in black with a yellow A on the front, it was surprisingly comfortable. Harry had also received an invisibility cloak from a mysterious sender, who claimed it had been 'left in their possession'. Aster had snorted at the words, receiving a confused look from Harry. It was obviously from Dumbledore, for what purpose he gave it to Harry was unclear currently, although Aster was sure it was the item that had been taken from her vault by the headmaster. Harry had been thrilled, and had used the cloak to sneak around the castle after hours and had discovered the mirror of Erised. He'd had a conversation with Dumbledore at the mirror and had returned to the common room in a fit of excitement at what he'd seen and wanted Aster to look in it, sure she'd see their parents as well. Aster intrigued at the prospect of a mirror that showed your utmost desire had followed Harry back to the mirror, and had been confused at the result.

She hadn't been expecting to see her parents, frankly she didn't really have any feelings towards them, she was grateful for their sacrifice but that was the limit of her emotions towards her missing parents. Aster had seen an older version of herself in the mirror, Belial was leaning against her right leg whilst a large black dog was leaning against her left. The image was confusing to Aster, she'd never particularly wanted a dog and had always assumed if she got a pet it'd be a snake especially after finding out there wasn't a language barrier between herself and the reptiles. Confused Aster had simply told her brother she saw an older version of herself with Harry, and that they'd both seemed happy. The wide smile on her brother's face told her that he'd believed it and that it was good enough.

There'd been little entertainment for Aster in the months following Christmas, although the memory of Dumbledore's welcome back speech could often bring Aster some satisfaction. At the feast the night before the spring term had started Dumbledore had made a request that 'whoever removed the item that had been on the 3rd floor to please return it, and that no repercussions would occur for the perpetrator'. Well Dumbledore was correct, nothing happened. Aster hadn't returned the stone which still occupied a place of honour in her trunks library and would stay there. Oddly enough the next day Professor Quirrel was found dead in the third-floor corridor, and although Aster couldn't figure out how, she assumed the missing stone was the reason for his demise. Harry had told her that they'd suspected that Snape was going to steal the philosopher's stone and were worried about its disappearance but after Quirrel's death they had relaxed and put the missing stone out of mind. After those events school was remarkably boring, the only other events of interest were the occasional stand offs between Draco and her brother. So, Aster was reasonably pleased to find herself on the train back to London with her brother, who was unsurprisingly not happy.

"Do you think you'll be able to come over during Summer?" Ron questioned Harry, avoiding looking at Aster who currently had Belial on her lap.

"I'm not sure if the Dursley's will let me. It might be possible though if Aster speaks to them." A pleading look was directed towards Aster from her brother.

"Oh…" Ron replied before pausing. "Why would it matter if she spoke to them?"

Harry coughed slightly, wondering how to explain the confusing relationship between his sister and the Dursley's. "Umm…"

"I'm their favourite." Aster supplied, barely repressing a smirk at the thought of being the Dursley's favourite anything.

Harry felt relieved, he couldn't exactly tell his friends that his relatives were frightened of his sister, they were already wary of her. Harry couldn't understand why his friends seemed uneasy around Aster, sure Hermione was jealous of his sister's academic success and Ron was probably still sore over Belial attacking Scabbers, but couldn't they just get over it? She had saved Hermione's life after all, he couldn't understand why they still didn't seem to like her. If his friends kept their distaste to themselves Harry didn't have too much of a problem with it, as much as he cherished his new friends, his sister always came first.


End file.
